A truly dark day in sports media is upon us. One that yours truly finds utterly depressing, as to be frank it feels like an attack on a television institution I have loved since I was a kid. It was announced back in March that long running ESPN evening talk show Around the Horn, will be coming to an end on Friday May 23. From its debut in 2002, to the end of its TV life this month, the show has exemplified some of the best of what sports media has to offer fans on a daily basis. My dad had me sit and watch it with him when I was about eight years old and from then on, I was a fan of this interesting and bizarre cast of characters for life. Before we talk about the heavier side of this and why it is bad for the sports media industry, we have to talk about what made this show special.

The real ingredient in the secret sauce that made Around the Horn so special, is its host. In 2004, Tony Reali replaced Max Kellerman in the host chair and the rest was history. Reali went from PTI’s “stat boy” to a recognizable face and name, who brought a charming personality and unique ability to referee “the show that scores the argument.” It is easy for a show that features so many unique personalities to lose sight of its host, a risky thing to have happen considering they are the constant in the mix every day. Tony never felt overshadowed, while also never feeling like he was busy making himself the center of attention. He avoided controversy and was his authentic self, embraced the fun, and above all strove to keep the show levelheaded. He, nor his panelists had time for the hyperbole that has infested the sports media landscape, as going too far earned you time with the mute button. Very few could navigate their way through a contentious “buy or sell” segment with the panel the way that Reali has over the last 20 years. Now, let’s get to the panelists!

The people above are, in my humble opinion, the best panelists in the history of Around the Horn. Never has such an eclectic mix of media members been assembled to discuss the most interesting topics in the sports world on a given day. There are decades of experience of covering the biggest games and stories in America’s top markets in the slideshow above. From Boston to LA and everywhere in between, this show had you covered. There was the veteran Boston contingent of Bob Ryan and Jackie Macmullen who could talk Celtics and Red Sox with the best of them. Tim Cowlishaw, one of the few people who could get inside the Cowboys inner sanctum for a story. Bill Plaschke was the resident expert on all things Hollywood. J.A. Adande and Jay Mariotti in the Windy City, who were tied into the Bulls, MJ, and the local baseball scene. Israel Gutierrez and Bomani Jones to bring a unique Miami and New York flavor to proceedings. And last, but certainly not least, the mile high chalk board man himself, Woody Paige! These men and women represented media institutions that were the best of sports journalism, working out of massive papers like The LA Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Sun Times.

There were few things more fun and comforting than watching some combination of the individuals I mentioned above in a split screen with Tony at 5 PM Eastern on a weekday. For those unfamiliar when it comes to the format, the show would always begin with four panelists, who would be eliminated over the course of the 30-minute program, as they debated the sports topics of the day. Reali would “score” their arguments and after two eliminations, the show would end in a showdown between the two remaining panelists. It was always fun to see Woody compete with one of the more serious members of the show in the showdown, or Bob Ryan and Bill Plaschke continue the Boston and LA rivalry on TV. Of course, since it is sports after all, there have to be standings for show wins (earned by winning the showdown). Those stats have been kept from the outset by both the show and its fans alike. Below are the standings at time of publishing this story.

Panelist	Wins	Appearances	Win %
Woody Paige	687	2,962	23.2%
Tim Cowlishaw	548	2,110	26.0%
Bill Plaschke	427	1,754	24.3%
Kevin Blackistone	384	1,604	23.9%
J.A. Adande	338	1,295	26.1%
Jay Mariotti	329	1,549	21.2%
Jackie MacMullen	258	890	29.0%
Israel Gutierrez	227	867	26.2%
Bob Ryan	223	754	29.6%

The competitive aspect of the show would have regular viewers cheering on their favorite panelists as if it were an actual game between two teams. A panelist up against the clock felt nerve wracking, one needing to fight back against a scoring hole to start the show and avoid elimination led to fun comebacks. There was always something different day to day on this show as its ultra knowledgeable sports minds went to battle.

A good showdown could also lead to laughs as the panelists would bring in props to help make sure they could celebrate with some facetime.

But the fun always went beyond the segments and arguments on the show. The producers, host and panelists always leaned into the fun on a daily basis. They would have themed shows, especially around fun holidays like Halloween and April Fool’s Day. This led to some very memorable moments on the air from the shows lengthy run over the years, like the time Woody Paige kidnapped Reali and replaced him as host for the day to mess with everyone…

All of this fun and levity bread an environment that made this team of print journalists, who worked in a city that most likely wasn’t yours, feel like a part of your home every day. And in turn these men and women were a family of their own, who inspired many young people like me to want to be a member of the media and share our knowledge of sports with others. They formed their own bond which has been on full display since ESPN informed the world the show was being cancelled in May. There have been stirring tributes a plenty as the show winds down, like this one below from Harry Lyles Jr. to Woody Paige.

I could go on and on about the fun aspects of this show and why I love it, but now it’s time to talk about the depressing part of this change in ESPN’s lineup. As I said earlier, this show represented the best sports media had to offer, as it was informative and entertaining. It wasn’t bombastic noise for noise’s sake. It was a show that used to be the norm on the air in its heyday, rather than the exception it and its 5 PM hour successor PTI have become. The levelheaded, information-based approach to the show was its best asset, we just didn’t know it at the time. Maybe that’s because we never thought this format would leave us, or that the sports world would transition towards absolute silliness.

The obsession with “going viral” and winning the attention economy has made good old-fashioned sports content seemingly useless to networks and fans alike. It’s become a battle to be the loudest person, the one who says the most absurd things for more attention on Twitter, Instagram you name it. After all these years, it is ironic that one of ESPN’s other shows sowed the seeds of sports media changing for the worse.

That show I am referring to is First Take, one that took the “score the argument” concept and forgot about scoring it…instead they chose to embrace it. That “embrace” became a brand, one that ESPN decided to embrace as a network, driving away their more reasonable and customary approach to sports television and staging shows as if they were WWE bits with First Take in the center of the three-ring circus. It wasn’t about objectively discussing the games or the stories anymore, it was now about making sure we knew how much Stephan A. hated the Cowboys and rooted against Skip. Why? Because we watched…if only we knew that choosing to watch would lead to a steady diet of Cowboys, Lebron James, Bronny James, the Lakers, and other “brand name” commodities high jacking “The Worldwide Leader.” I don’t mean to say those topics can’t be discussed, but can we at least discuss them in a nuanced and intelligent way rather than a screaming match? Around the Horn frankly deserves credit for surviving as long as it did in this climate, as other ESPN institutions like Baseball Tonight fell by the wayside long ago.

At this point it’s safe to assume other shows we have long loved will suffer the same fate. Upon hearing the news about Around the Horn, my mind immediately went to “is PTI next?” Pardon the Interruption has been on the air since 2001, led by the same two hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, as they shared the 5 PM hour with Around the Horn. Tony and Michael, very similar to their colleagues on Horn, were two veteran print journalists who were capable to discussing a wide variety of sports topics in a nuanced and entertaining way. Coincidentally they had Tony Reali at their side to chip in and referee the two during the show, and it was TV magic much like their 5 PM running mates. But they too have been deemed old school antiques of an era gone by. It’s sadly the reality as a polarized society demands outrage and drama on a daily basis, rather than playing it down the middle with a measure of calm yet entertaining demeanor. Wilbon voiced his frustration on the recent way of the world at ESPN.

“There were shows that talked about Bronny every day. You know what show’s I’m talking about. I don’t care if my bosses get mad. They would try to get Tony and me to talk about it. No, we were not going to do it. They talked about him more than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That’s pandering. It’s all pandering. Let me be clear: our business is a piece of sh*t a lot of days.” – Michael Wilbon

That about sums it up. In the end, the entire media landscape is changing, and maybe I’m an old man yelling at clouds, but I don’t think it’s for the better. Rather than spending the money at ESPN to have a more comprehensive lineup of shows that were actually good, hosted by talent that wasn’t repetitive and annoying, they have elected to spend money on a handful of people and their shows. 100 million dollars of First Take and Stephan A. Smith hardly seems like a cost-effective way to run a network meant to cover everything. That’s not to say Stephan A. isn’t fun or talented but making him and his style the standard bearer for the business has become a disastrous decision in my opinion. To each is own, and you can’t fight change, we’ll always have the memories over the years.

So, here’s to Around the Horn, a show that changed the landscape for the better. It inspired us all, including yours truly to get in the business. I wouldn’t be sitting here writing on this site so often without Around the Horn. So, thank you to Tony and the Panelists, it was an amazing ride! Now, without further ado…paper toss!

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!